Gilmore Sisters
by ainie
Summary: COMPLETE: Sequel to The Gilmore Way. Suzannah is now four and Lorelai is beginning to see the diferences between her childhood and the one she had herself.
1. Girls who miss their mothers

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Gilmore Girls characters, exept for the once I've added. The rest of the bunch belongs to Amy Sherman Paladino (one of the luckiest women on earth). and WarnerBrothers, yadda, yadda, yadda...The song that appears in this chapter ("When Suzannah Cries") is made by Espen Lind, not by me.**

**I would like to thank Inca (VoyICJ) for being such a good proofreader.**

**What has happened since the last time? **

**Lorelai and Luke are married, and they live in what used to be Lorelai's house, but they haven't had any kids yet.**

**Rory has finished her education and lives in New York, where she is working for a small newspaper. She has a boyfriend named Danny.**

**Lorelai's sister Suzannah (this is a sequel, remember? Read "The Gilmore Way" first.) is four years old. Every now and then she stays with Lorelai and Luke for the weekend.**

**Ok, let's get on with the story, shall we? **

**Not all that much ER yet, but don't worry, they'll be back soon**.

_**Girls who miss their mothers** by Ane Berentsen_

When Luke returned home after a long day in the diner, he found Lorelai bustling in the kitchen. He quietly walked up to her and surprised her with a gentle kiss.

"Hey honey," Lorelai said with a smile on her face. She took the bags he was carrying out of his hands and set them down on the kitchen table.

"Are those cheeseburgers I am smelling?" Lorelai asked with a broad grin. Luke simply nodded. He walked up to her and pulled her to him.

"Guess what? I have a surprise for you."

"Oh I know, you are going to put on your baseball cap the right way," Lorelai said sheepishly. Luke had to smile.

"Not exactly. Lane asked me if she could do some extra work this weekend, she needs the money. That means I can take some time off." Lorelai saw where this was going, a whole weekend for themselves wasn't everyday-stuff.

"What have you got planned?" she asked, excited like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Nothing." Luke smiled at her, as if he had just made the suggestion of the year. Lorelai became a bit irritated.

"Nothing? That's your big surprise?" She asked incredulously.

Luke's smile became wider, as he explained.

"Don't you get it? This is the first weekend in… ages… that you and I can do nothing at all!" he said as he opened his bag and took a bite of his burger. "We can just...enjoy some free time." Lorelai had to think for a minute, before she could see what he was saying.

"You actually have a point there." As she sat down and began to eat as well, she got more and more eager to go through with his idea.

"I wonder if it's possible not to get out of bed at all between Friday and Sunday?" she said with her mouth full of fries. Luke chuckled.

"We don't have to go that far, but maybe we could agree to not leave the house." Before he was done talking, the phone started to ring. Lorelai got on her feet and answered it.

"Hello, you've reached the chill out residence?"

"Don't be silly, Lorelai, I know who I'm talking to." Lorelai realized that it was her mother at the other end.

"Well, nothing gets by you, Mum." She mumbled. Emily chose to ignore her daugther's comment.

"Actually, I'm calling to ask you a favour. You remember I told you that me and your father were going to look at the Middleton's new house in California later this week?

"Sure, I remember." Lorelai couldn't understand how this was concerning her. "Do you want me to carry your suitcases or something?"

This time Emily couldn't hold in her irritation.

"Why don't you try and keep your silly jokes to yourself for once, and listen to what I have to say? The thing is, our babysitter called. She's caught pneumonia, the stupid girl." It sounded as if the woman had become ill on purpose. Lorelai couldn't resist another comment.

"How very selfish of her..." she said dryly. She could already see were this was going. Emily continued.

"So I was hoping I could ask you to..." Emily began, but Lorelai interrupted her before she could even finish the sentence.

"No no no, I can't. Why can't you just take Suzy with you?" Lorelai's question made Emily sigh.

"Unfortunately, Marcie Middleton can't stand children. She claims to be allergic, she says they give her a headache." Emily said, clearly annoyed.Even though Emily felt the same way about Mrs. Middelton, Richard had claimed that this so-called holiday was of vital importance to his company. Therefore, she couldn't let Lorelai of the hook that easily. "What is it you have to do that's so important, then?" she asked in a suspicious voice.

"Actually, Luke and I are doing a lot of nothing this weekend." Lorelai could hear how silly she sounded.

"Nothing?" Emily asked, clearly confused.

"You're right, that's not a strong argument, is it? You know what, give me two seconds, Mum..." Lorelai put a hand over the phone before she turned to Luke. "You get the picture, huh?"

"Let her come." Luke was very fond of Lorelai's little sister, and he hadn't seen her in a long time.

"You sure?" Lorelai asked. She wasn't really convinced.

"I'm sure we'll get to do "nothing" some other time. Give the lioness what she wants, that's the only way she'll leave you alone." Luke wasn't exactly his mother-in-laws's biggest fan, and he strongly doubted she was his, but his sister-in-law was a cute girl who reminded him a lot of Lorelai.

Lorelai raised the phone again.

"OK, I'll take one four-year old, extra cheese and no tuna, please..."

"Wonderful!" Emliy was relieved. "We'll drop her of on our way to the airport on Friday, let's say around two?"

Lorelai was about to mumble "Fine" and hang up when she remembered something.

"I'll be at work then, you'd better come to the inn. Good bye."

"And Lorelai?" Emily said, before her daughter had the chance to hang up

"What?" Lorelai asked with a heavy sigh.

"Tell Luke the lioness says hi..."

* * *

Sookie had just put a chocolate cake in the oven when she heard Michel's displeased voice from the reception. 

"Sookie, did you leave this corpse on my counter?" _What's gotten into him know? _she thought to herself while she went to check. Michel was pointing at a plate with a sandwich on it. Sookie sighed.

"Corpse, huh? This is ham!"

"Well, do you see it moving?" Michel's voice sounded sly. Sookie was just about to answer him when Lorelai came down the stairs.

"Hey, have either of you seen a jag?" she asked them.

"No. Why, did you order one?" Michel was being sarcastic.

"I wish...No, it's my parent's car, they're going on a holiday..."

"Here?" Sookie became a bit frightened, she had no idea they were expecting guests. Lorelai calmed her down.

"No, in California. They're just dropping Suzy off..."

"Here?" It was Michel's turn to be confused. Lorelai became a bit irritated.

"Yes, here, they're letting a four-year old stay at an inn all by herself for a week...I'm taking her home with me after work, okay?" Lorelai's tirade stopped when she heard a car outside.

"That must be them!"

She ran outside, followed by Michel. Sookie brought her plate back into the kitchen.

* * *

Lorelai waved at the little girl in the back seat as the car stopped and her parents came out. 

Emily went to help her youngest daughter unbuckling her seatbelt, while Richard got two suitcases from the back.

"Lorelai, how generous of you to offer to take care of Suzannah for us while we're away!" he said as he placed the luggage in front of her.

"Offer? That depends on how you look at it, Dad..." Lorelai sent a suggestive look at Emily, who came around the car with Suzannah on her hip. Emily pretended not to notice it.

Richard put an arm around his wife as he pointed at the suitcases.

"Well, here's her luggage. A bit much, if you ask me, but your mother insisted..." Emily interrupted him.

"Richard, you know very well that she's a master at spilling her drinks. She's going toneed lots of changings for a whole week." Emily said and tickled Suzy's side playfully.

"And it's not like I know how to do laundry..."Lorelai mumbled to herself. "Michel, suitcases are your thing." she said out loud.

"Of course, your highness, would you like me to carry them to your house or perhaps both back and forth?" Michel was obviously in a difficult mood today, even for him. Lorelai handed him a key from her pocket.

"Just take 'em to my car, okey?"

As Michel disappeared with the luggage, Emily put Suzannah down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"We'd better get going if we want to catch our plane. I'll miss you, angel..." she said as she ran her fingers through her daughter's blond hair. Lorelai couldn't help but wonder if her mother had ever said anything like that to her when she was little.

"I'll miss you too, Mummy" the girl said as she clung around her mother's legs. Richard pulled her away and lifted her up.

"Now, you, promise me you'll be a good girl while we're away..." He tried to keep a strict face. He hated the feeling he always got when he left his little princess in someone elses care, and he knew that Emily felt the same way. But neither of them wanted Suzannah to know what a big deal it was for them, that would have made her even more clingy than she already was.

"Daddy, remember you promised to bring me something!" Suzannah's eyes began to sparkle.

"I won't forget..." Richard chuckled as he kissed her cheek and handed her over to Lorelai.

As the car drove away, Suzannah's eyes became wet and shiny, she sniffled quietly and her chin started shaking. Lorelai tried to make her think about something else.

"Hey, you know what this means? It means I'll get to call you Suzy for a whole week!" She tried to cheer the little girl up.

"Lorelai, how long is a week?" The younger sister asked.

"Uhm...it's about as much time as it takes Mum to fire a maid. A good one."

"Not longer?" Suzannah smiled, clearly relieved.

"That's right." Lorelai smiled back. "Now, let's go see if Sookie can find something for you in the kitchen.

* * *

"Sookie!" Suzannah exclaimed once she saw the cook. Ever since she could chew for the first time, she had connected this woman with sweets and other good things. The fact that her children were fun to play with was a bonus. 

"Suzy, what a nice surprise! See, I've just made a chocolate cake, and I was just thinking "Oh no, there's no one her to lick the bowl..." Sookie knew exactly how to become a kid's best friend.

"Wow, looks like you have some work to do..." Lorelai placed her sister on a chair by the kitchen counter, and Sookie handed her the bowl. Two seconds later the little girl was in heaven.

"Aww, she's so cute! She's a lot like you, you know." Sookie smiled at Lorelai.

"Sure, if you don't take her size, her blond hair and the fact that she has Rory's big eyes into account, then sure, we're identical twins." Lorelai said in a sarcastic voice. "And by the way, the eye-thing; I still haven't figured out how she did that!"

"I wasn't talking about her appearance. You know what I mean, she so...lorelai-ish!"

"Well, I guess that's what "The Gilmore Mansion" 24/7 will do to you..." Lorelai said with a shrug.

* * *

Luke had just finished dinner when the Gilmore sisters came home. As soon as Suzannah saw him she ran straight into his lap, clung to his waist and held on thight. 

"Nice to see you too, Suzy..." Luke wasn't quite sure how to react on the girl's greeting.

"She's been asking about you all the way home." Lorelai said as she took of her coat.

"Well, you know me. Always popular with the ladies..." Luke lifted Suzannah up as he got on his feet and gave Lorelai a kiss. Just as she was about to ask him what he had prepared for dinner, the phone started ringing.

"I'll get it." Lorelai went into the hallway and answered it. She was happy to hear her daughter on the other end.

"Mum, it's me..." Rory was so glad she had finally managed to pull herself together and call her mother.

"Hey, it's my urban girl! How's big city life these days?" Lorelai laughed. Rory was glad her mother asked.

"Well, actually..." Rory was interrupted, before she was able to finish her sentence

"You know what, honey, I know don't tell you this as often as I should but...I'm so proud of you for making it on your own. I wouldn't even last two days in "the big apple" all by myself..." Lorelai was almost becoming a bit sentimental.

"Mum, I was just about to tell you that..." Rory tried once more, but was interrupted again.

"I just want you to know that...I think it's great that you're so independent. Luke and I were just talking about you the other day, we just...we both think you're so amazing. Anyway, I just had to tell you. You were trying to say something?"

Rory was about to cry_. Why does Mum have to throw this proud-stuff in my face right now?_ she thought to herself. _I can't tell her, not now._

"Uhm, it was nothing, Mum. How is Luke?"

"Good as can be, sounds like he's giving Suzy a piggy-back ride in the kitchen…" Lorelai couldn't tell who liked the game the most, Luke or Suzannah.

"Suzannah's there?" Rory asked.

"Yep, the babysitter's ill, so she's staying here while Grandma and Grandpa are in California."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full…" Rory sighed. "I'd better get going anyway."

"OK, babe. Tell Danny I said hi."

"Will do. Talk to you later." Rory barely managed to get the words out and hang up before she started crying. Lorelai remained by the phone for a little while. There was something that just wasn't right about her… she thought. Well, well. She'll tell me when she's ready.

* * *

That night, Lorelai was awakened by a sound. She shook Luke until he woke up as well. 

"Did you hear that?" she asked him with fear in her voice. "Sounded like there's somebody downstairs…Might be a killer or something! You go check!"

Luke was tired and rather uninterested.

"Why do I have to check? You're the one who's imagnining it…" he was about to go back to sleep when the bedroom door opened and in came Suzannah.

"Imagnining it, huh?" Lorelai was proud to have proved Luke wrong.

"Ouh, a four-year old girl in pyjamas, scary!" Luke said in a sarcastic voice. Suzannah came closer to the bed.

"I want my Mummy!" She sounded as if she was about to cry.

"That settles it, the kid must have lost it." Luke said and the sarcasm was obvious in his voice. How anyone could wake up in the middle of the night and long for Emily Gilmore was beyond him.

Lorelai reached out and pulled her sister into bed with her.

"What's wrong, cupcake?" She asked as she gave Suzannah a peck on the cheek. "You've spent the night here like…a million times!"

"They're so far away this time…" Suzannah said in a thin voice.

"The further the better, I'd say…" Luke was at it again. Lorelai sendt him an angry look.

"And this time…" Suzannah continued "This time Mummy forgot to pack Lumpy!"

Lorelai sighed. Lumpy was Suzannah's favourite toy, a blue teddy bear she'd had since she was a baby. The old thing was dirty, full of holes where the stuffing came out, and it smelled of old vomit, but Suzannah wouldn't let anyone wash it. _"Forgot to pack it", huh_? Lorelai though to herself. _Mum's probably thrown the thing away to let me deal with it being gone._ Lorelai's thoughts were interrupted by Suzannah's talking.

"Lorelai, please sing me my song…" the little girl begged.

"She has a song?" Luke was surprised.

"Suzy, I thought that was our little secret." Lorelai didn't feel like singing, especcialy not in front of Luke.

"I repeat, she has a song?" Luke was becoming interested.

"It's just this old pop-song I remembered that has her name in it. I sang it to her once, and she loved it, allthough it's sad enough to make a stone cry." Boy, right now Lorelai regretted ever having introduced that song …

"Sing it now!" Suzannah demanded as she lay down and closed her eyes.

"OK, OK…" Lorelai realized there was no other option. "_When Suzannah cries, she cries a rainstorm, she cries a river, she cries a hole in the ground. She cries for love, she cries a sad song, she cries a shiver, sometimes she cries for me too..."_

* * *

The next morning Lorelai slept in while Luke brought Suzannah downstairs to make breakfast. 

When Lorelai finally got up and was about to enter the kitchen, the phone started ringing. She was surprised to hear Rory's voice on the other end, she didn't usually call two days in a row.

Lorelai' suspicion that there was something going on was strengthened.

"How's it going, honey?" she asked.

Rory tried to hide the sadness in her voice.

"You know…not much. How's...home?"

"Well, let me paint you a picture: It's Saturday morning, Luke and Suzy are making breakfast, I think I can smell scrambled eggs and bacon..."

"That sounds nice." Roy was still struggling to make her voice sound normal.

"We have lit some candles on the kitchen table, Suzy's running around in her pyjamas begging for cocoa, and I think Luke is about to give in..."

Rory's eyes filled up with tears. Her mother was torturing her without knowing it. Lorelai continued.

"So, that's the situation over here. What are you and Danny up to?"

_That's it!_ Rory thought as she started crying. _I can't do this anymore!_ She took a deep breath before she was finally able to get the words out.

"Mum, I want to come home!"

* * *

**This is not the best of cliffhangers, I know... But at least you don't know what Rory's so upset about.**

**Please, please, please leave me a review, I'd really appriciate it. The next chapter will be posted soon.**


	2. Come back!

_Thanks to all those who reviewed, it's really inspiering. I hope you'll enjoy this second chapter, but let me warn you; the next update wont be this quick. I'm going on a holiday, I'll be back sometime next week ( around the 10th)._

_**Come back! **By Ane Berentsen_

Lorelai was in a bad mood, and she was taking it out on the laundry. Rarely had a pile of laundry been thrown on a livingroom table with more power. As she started folding, Luke came through the main door with a bag full of groceries in one hand. Suzannah was hanging over one of his shoulders, fast asleep. Lorelai scowled at her husband.

"You let her fall asleep in the car again?" she asked in an irritated voice. "Now we're never gonna get her to bed tonight!"

"I know, I know...," Luke replied. He seemed tired. "I tried everything, I told her all the jokes I know, but she just couldn't keep her eyes open."

"I see. Your jokes make great sedatives." Lorelai asserted. "Just put her on the couch, I'll take her to Rory's room in a bit."

Luke put the bag down, placed Suzannah on the couch and tucked a blanket around her.

"There.When is Rory coming home, anyway? Are we picking her up anywhere?" he asked. Lorelai was glad he had brought up the subject; she needed to talk about what was upsetting her so much.

"No, she said she's renting a car at the airport. She'll be here some time tonight. Far away from Danny...,"

"That guy's got to be a real jerk." Luke said as he went back out into the hallway to take of his shoes and jacket.

"I know!" Lorelai began, but lowered her voice so she wouldn't wake up her sister. "I never liked that guy!"

"Lorelai, you never met "that guy", you know...," Luke came back into the room. Lorelai lost her temper and forgot about the sleeping child.

"I don't have to meet a guy, who's stupid enough to cheat on a fantastic girl like Rory. Someone, who makes her so depressed that she quits her job and can't even stand her own appartment anymore, because it reminds her of him. I don't need to meet him, okay? I hate him, that's it!"

Luke tried to get her to lower her voice, but it was too late. Suzannah was wimphering and tossing back and forth. Lorelai took a deep breath to get her irritation out of her system, before she went over to the couch and picked her sister up. She held her tight and rocked her slowly.

"I'm sorry, cupcake, I'm so sorry..." she whispered into the girl's ear. She really was sorry about the outbreak. Lorelai's goal was to make her home a sanctuary for Suzy, where she could relax and not worry about harsh words. Lorelai had always wanted a place like that when she was a child. But sometimes her Gilmore blood pumped through her veins so fast and forcefully that she simply couldn't controll herself, even if she tried.

The little girl opened her eyes and looked straight into Lorelai's.

"I want Lumpy..." she whispered.

* * *

Rory had just been given the keys to the rental car. It was a tiny Volvo, and as far as she could tell, it had to be about her age. _Can this old thing really get me to Stars Hollow?_ she thought as she got in. She tried to turn on the radio, but it didn't seem to work. _Just my luck_ she thought to herself._ This wreck fits in perfectly with the rest of my life these days._

She was glad to be out of her filthy appartment. Allthough it had been her home for more than six months, it had never felt like home to her. All she wanted to do now, was to get back to her real home in Stars Hollow. It had been months since she had seen her mother the last time. She couldn't remember the last time they had been apart for this long. She couldn't wait to rest her head on Lorelai's chest and just cry...Cry until there wasn't a tear left inside of her.

She had been driving for a while when she heard some strange noises coming from the engine. Just as she was about to stop the car, the car beat her to it. She was dangled towards the steering wheel as the Volvo gave up with a last sigh.

"What's wrong with you...you... stupid thing!" she cried out in frustration as she rubbed her forehead. She got out of the car and opened the bonnet. Out came a huge cloud of smoke that made her cough.

"I thought the word "Volvo" ment "I'm rolling"..." she mumbled as she searched her pockets for her cell phone. "I guess you didn't know that, huh, pal?"

* * *

Lorelai was waiting in the livingroom when Luke and Suzannah came home for the second time that day. 

"Hey, did you find Lumpy?" she asked her sister as she came running into the livingroom. The girl shook her head. Luke was walking right behind her.

"What took you so long?" Lorelai asked him.

"First, that maid wouldn't let us in. I had to threaten to call your mother before she finally opened the door..." Luke began, but Lorelai interrupted him.

"Wow, if only she'd known that you wouldn't even call my mother if you were offered a million dollars!" she giggled.

"Then, when we got in, there was this weird smell. Either your parents have become hippies in their old days, or the maid is smoking pot in their house. Do you think we should tell them?" Luke continued.

"I don't see why, she's bound to be fired soon anyway..." Lorelai said as she helped Suzannah take her jacket of.

"Anyway, we searched Suzy's room inside-out, but there was no sign of the bear. I think you're right about him being in the T-R-A-S-H." Luke spelled the last word, so that Suzannah wouldn't understand him. Lorelai sighed. So her mother HAD planned this.

"So we didn't find Lumpy, but guess who asked us for a ride?" Luke asked and then turned towards the door.

"Okay, Kirk, you can come in now." Kirk entered the house with a disappointed look on his face.

"You said we could surprise her!" he moaned. Lorelai quickly got to her feet.

"Don't worry, Kirk, I'm extremely surprised. What on earth are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm here on business," Kirk explained. "As you know, my dog-walking business is kind of slow these days, so I thought I'd try walking something else: Children!"

"Children?" Lorelai asked and wasn't sure whether she understood what Kirk was getting at. On the other hand had she never understood Kirk all that well.

"Yes. I heard you have a child here for the week?" Kirk asked.

"Are you saying you want to take my sister out for a walk? Kirk, it's almost her bed-time." Lorelai said in a faltering voice.

Before Kirk had the time to answer, the phone started ringing. Luke went to answer it.

"Hello?...Rory, where are you?...What?...How did that happen...? Ok, ok, here's your mother." He handed the phone over to Lorelai, who was becoming more confused by the minute.

* * *

After having hung up, Lorelai turned back to Kirk. 

"Listen, you can't take Suzy with you anywhere, but it would be great if you could stay here with her while Luke and I go to get Rory. Poor thing, she's stranded in the middle of a road and she's very scared that someone will run into her car from behind. We'd better both go, to make sure we'll get the other car with us."

Kirk nodded, and Lorelai smiled at him gratefully.

"I'll just get her to bed before we leave." She said as she picked Suzy up and ran up the stairs.

"I'll get the car!" Luke yelled after her before he went outside.

Lorelai put Suzy down onto a mattress on the floor in the main bedroom. She usually slept in Rory's old room, but tonight Rory would be needing that room. The thought of having her daughter in the house again warmed Lorelai's heart.

"Lorelai, where do you think Lumpy is?" Suzannah asked. Lorelai didn't want to deal with that problem right now.

"I'm sure he snuck into Mum's suitcase, because he wanted to go to California with them." she explained. "He'll come home with them next Friday. Why don't you look up at the stars and think of him until then?" Lorelai pointed out the window. It was getting dark, and it was possible to see a few stars on the horizon. "You see, Suzy, we all look up to the same stars, no matter if we're in Stars Hollow, or in California. That way, we're reminded that we're not too far away from each other." Lorelai knew that it wasn't only the teddy bear Suzannah longed for, and she hoped this "same-stars-above-us" speech would make her feel better.

"Which way is California?" Suzannah asked.

"That way." Lorelai pointed in a haphazar direction. "Now, you lie down and try to get some sleep. Kirk is downstairs if you need anything, and the rest of us will be back soon." She got onto her feet. "And we'll bring back Rory with us!" she said, mainly to herself. Suzannah had already closed her eyes and seemed to be sleeping when Lorelai left the room.

* * *

Rory was sick and tired of counting the squears in the pattern on the car seats when Luke and Lorelai finally arrived in their car. The two Gilmore Girls got out of the cars and ran towards each other. Rory threw herself around Lorelai's neck and let her tears come, the way she had dreamt of for so long. For several minutes mother and daughter just stood there with their arms around each other. They both cried, but it was a good cry, the kind that one needs to get it over with in order to move on. They didn't let go until Luke became impatient. 

"Hey, it's great that the two of you have finally found each other and all that, but are we just going to stand here and wait for someone to hit that old wreck from behind?" he shouted through the car window. Lorelai allowed her daugther to pull away first, before she went to help Luke tie a rope to the car so they could give the Volvo a tow out of the way.

* * *

When the three of them returned home, they found Kirk sleeping on the couch. Lorelai gestured to Luke and Rory as though to say "Watch this!" 

She snuck up to the couch and bend over it until her mouth was only inches away from Kirk's ear: "Hey! Wake up!" she cried out and had to stop herself from laughing when she saw Kirk falling off the couch.

"What kind of a baby-sitter are you? You can't sleep while you're on duty!" Lorelai exclaimed and stared down on Kirk with hard eyes.

"I wasn't sleeping!" Kirk defended himself. He didn't want to admit that he was doing a lousy job. While he tried to figure out how to unwrap himself from the blanket he had covered himself with, Lorelai ran upstairs to check on Suzannah. Luke and Rory began to talk about what to do about the car, and Kirk had just managed to stand up when they heard a scream from upstairs. Lorelai came running back down the stairs with a terrified look on her face only mere seconds later.

"She's not there!" was all she was able to get out before she was out of air. Rory gasped.

"What do you mean?" Luke couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Suzy! She's not there! She's not in the bedroom!" Lorelai cried and the panic she felt was clearly showing on her face. Before Lorelai had even finished the last sentence, Luke was about to attack Kirk. Lorelai and Rory had to hold him back. Kirk tried to hide behind the couch.

"Why couldn't you just had stayed awake, huh? This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't passed out like that!" Luke yelled in a desperate way.

"Okay, okay, maybe I was out for a few seconds..." Kirk admitted. He was biting his nails and wasn't sure what to do. The grown man looked as if he was about to cry.

"Stop it, Luke, it's not his fault!" Lorelai screamed as she forced Luke to calm down.

"You're right, it's our fault! How could we leave her with an idiot like him!" Luke was still furious.

"It's not your fault either. It's mine..." Lorelai mumbled as she sat down and covered her face with her hands.

"Mum, how is it your fault?" Rory sat down next to her mother and started running her hand over her shoulder. Lorelai turned to her and stared into her eyes.

"I gave her directions to California!"

* * *

Two hours had passed, and it was getting darker and darker. Lorelai searched the complete area around her house, lighting up the bushes and the threes with a flashlight. _If only I could remember which way I pointed_... She thought to herself. She had been walking around like this for hours. Luke was driving to her parent's house in Hartford, in case Suzy in some mysterious way knew how to get there. Kirk was searching along the way to the centre of the town, and Rory was waiting at home, so that there would be someone there if Suzy came back. Lorelai had called the police, but they told her to "check underneath the bed" and "call back after 24 hours". She hadn't dared to call her mother yet, but she knew that if Luke came home without the girl, she'd have to. She'd actually have to call her mother and tell her that her little angel, her father's "petite cherie", was missing! Lorelai would rather spend the night in hell...

* * *

Luke had checked the Gilmore house in Hartford, there was no light and the door was locked, so he was pretty sure the girl wasn't in there. On his way home, he had checked up on Kirk to see if he had been luckier. Kirk had knocked on every single door in Stars Hollow, and was organizing a search together with Taylor. Luke was pretty sure this wouldn't lead to anything, a girl that small probably wouldn't walk that far anyway. But if it could help Kirk to feel better, and at the same time give Taylor one of those kicks he got when he could organize something, then what the heck. Luke just hoped the other town members weren't to grumpy about being ordered out this late in the evening.

* * *

All of a sudden Lorelai saw some light over by the road. It was Luke's car. Lorelai ran after it. This was the decisive moment. It was impossible to tell whether Suzannah was in the car or not. She jogged after the car until it stopped in front of her house about one minute later. She was exhausted, and had to lean against the back of the car as Luke stepped out. 

"Any luck?" Lorelai asked while she was trying to catch her breath.

"No, nothing. I talked to Kirk too, he's turned the town up-side down but she's not there," Luke replied with slumped shoulders. He was sorry that he couldn't bring any happier news. Lorelai felt as if she was slowly dying inside. Luke put his arm around her, and she rubbed her nose against his chest.

"What if she's dead?" she mumbled. "She could be dead right now, and it would all be my fault."

"She's not dead." Luke tried to sound convincing, most of all to convince himself. "Suzy's a smart kid. She'll be all right. And no matter what happens, this isn't your fault. How could you know she was going to take off like that?"

Rory came out the main door. Lorelai turned away from Luke and looked up on her.

"She hasn't come home, has she?" Lorelai asked hopefully. She clung to the last straw. Rory looked down and shook her head.

"I knew it." Lorelai started walking with firm steps towards the door. She went past Rory and into the hallway, where she picked up the phone. Rory came after her.

"Wait, Mum. Maybe you don't have to call Grandma yet." Rory wasn't quite sure why she said it, but she knew that if her mother called and told her grandparents what had happened, it would be like taking a shower in petrol and going to a barbeque afterwards. Lorelai avoided eye-contact with her daughter.

"Yes, I have to..." she said calmly and took the phone to the kitchen with her while she dialed the number. As she sat down by the kitchen table she heard her mother's voice at the other end. She took a deap breath and let the words come out of her mouth.

"Hi Mum..."

**_To be continued..._**

**_How is that for a cliffhanger, huh? ;) I know, I know, not much E/R yet, but as you can see, there's defidently going to be more of them in the next chapter. Please review!_**


	3. The Lioness returns

_Finally, here's an update. I guess you all have your own little theory about where Suzanah is, huh? Well, let's see if anyone nailed it._

**The Lioness Returns** by Ane Berentsen

Emily was shocked to receive a phone call from her daughter at this time of the day. She quickly did the maths in her head and figured out that it had to be around midnight in Conneticut. This had to mean that there was something wrong.

"Lorelai, what is it? Is it Suzannah?" she asked with fear in her voice. Lorelai hesitated.

"Uhm, yeah, kinda, well, yeah, I guess..." Lorelai wasn't sure what to say.

As Lorelai rambled on, Rory decided to lie down on the bed for a while and rest before the explosion. As she walked through the kitchen she could hear Lorelai's desperate delaying of what had to be said. Rory felt really sorry for her mother. She went into her room and was about to lie down, when she realized that the surface of her bed wasn't as level as it normally was. She turned around to check what was wrong with it. Two seconds later she had thrown herself towards the door to the kitchen .

"Mum, hang up, HANG UP!" Rory yelled. Lorelai was so shocked that she pushed the "off" button on impulse. Then she turned to her daughter.

"What is it?" Lorelai asked. She hadn't expected this kind of behaviour at all.

"She's here! Suzannah, she's in my bed!" Rory explained. She was so excited that she didn't know where to keep her hands and just kept waving them around. "Luke, she's here!" she called out even louder. Luke came storming into the kitchen.

"Where!" Luke quickly searched the whole room with his look, as if he was expecting to find Suzannah dangling from the ceiling or lying on the floor.

"She's in here, she's in my bed!" Rory ran back into her old room with Luke racing after her. Lorelai was about to get up and follow them, when the phone on the table in front of her started ringing. She picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked, even though she already knew who it was.

"Lorelai, you are going to tell me what has happened and you are going to tell me right now!" Emily yelled into the telephone. She was becoming hysterical. Lorelai was about to answer, when Rory came back into the room.

"Don't tell her!" Rory whispered. The expression on her face was begging Lorelai not to say anything. Lorelai smiled at her and covered the phone with her hand.

"Do you think I'm stupid, or what?" she whispered back. Lorelai was her old self again.

Rory was extremely relieved as she went back into the bedroom. Lorelai raised the phone again. At first she wasn't sure what to say, but then she had an idea.

"Mum, I called because Suzannah didn't have that disgusting teddy bear with her. We even went over to your house earlier to get it, but it wasn't there. How do you explain that?" Lorelai knew she had her mother up against the wall. Emily tried to figure out a good way of talking her oldest daugther into dealing with this matter.

"Oh, Lorelai, you know I'm not very good at handling things like this..." she began, timidly.

* * *

In the mean time, Luke had run over to the bed, picked the little girl up and twirled her around. 

"Suzy! Boy, am I glad to see you! I thought we'd lost you forever!" he exclaimed. Rory came up to them and gave Suzannah a peck on the cheek.Suzannah smiled when she saw her. All though she had no idea what was going on, she was too tired to ask any questions.

"Why on earth did you come down here?" Rory asked her. Suzannah yawned before she answered.

"I couldn't sleep upstairs, I can only sleep here." she mumbled, as if this needed no further explanation. Rory just smiled and went back into the kitchen. Luke sat down on the bed and put Suzannah on his lap.

"Now, don't you ever scare me like that again." his voice sounded serious, but relieved. "I don't think I've ever been that scared in my entire life."

Suzannah looked up at him and ran her hand slowly over his cheek.

"Don't worry, Luke, I wont." she said calmly, as if she knew perfectly well what he was talking about, before she yawned once more and leaned against his chest. A happy, almost touched smile appeared in Luke's face, but he quickly wiped it off when Rory came back into the room. She came over to the bed and sat down next to them.

"Try to go back to sleep now, alright?" She whispered into her little aunt's ear.

Suzannah simply nodded, she was half-way into her sleep already.

When Lorelai had finished her conversation she came into Rory's room. Suzannah had fallen asleep on Luke's lap, so Lorelai tiptoed over to them as quietly as she could. It was hard, because the only thing she felt like doing was jumping up and down and screaming. Her face radiated relief and happiness as she sat down next to Luke and reached out her hands. Luke carefully handed her the sleeping child.

"I could have sworn I checked this room." Lorelai whispered while brushing Suzannah's hair out of her face.

"I know you did," Rory had a sly look in her eyes. "But if you just opened the door and took a quick look, you wouldn't have noticed her. The quilt totally covered her from that angle."

"I'm impressed, Sherlock," Lorelai smiled at her daughter as she got on her feet. "I'll get her up to our room."

"I'll go with you," Rory followed Lorelai out of the room and left Luke to himself.

"Well, I guess that means I'll go tell the rest of the town they can get back to bed…" he mumbled to himself as he got onto his feet and left the room as well.

* * *

Lorelai placed her sister on the matress again. When she had tucked her in, both she and Rory flung themselves onto the bed. Lorelai leaned over the head of the bed and looked down on Suzannah with a pleased look on her face. 

"She is so adorable…for some reason she is more adorable right now then ever before," she whispered. "Did you know I almost named you Suzannah?" she asked as she turned and lay down next to Rory.

"Yep. You told me when we went to New York to see The Bangles…" Rory said while staring up at the ceiling. "How come you never told Grandma about that?"

"Because then she would have changed her mind and named her something boring instead, and I wouldn't have had the chance to giggle inside and think about "Eternal Flame" every time they called her name." Lorelai said with a smile.

"Do you still do that?" Rory wondered.

"Naah, it wore off years ago. Fun while it lasted, though…" Lorelai said with a sigh. Rory was about to answer when she remembered something and got out of the bed in a hurry. Lorelai became confused.

"What is it, hon, is something wrong?" she asked.

"I totally forgot that this is both your AND Luke's bed now. I can't lie on the bed you share with your husband!" Rory said it as if she had just committed a crime.

"Why, is there a rule or something?" Lorelai couldn't see what Rory was freaking out about.

"No, it's just…creepy! I mean…it's your bed. It's a privat area. Don't you get it?"

"Sure, and with the four-year-old on the floor right next to it it's a scene of action every night!" Lorelai said sarcasticly. "Seriously, baby, you were on my side of the bed, on top of the blanket, so I'm pretty sure it's OK. Please lie down again, huh? I love talking to you like this, I've missed it."

"You sure it's OK?" Rory wasn't convinced.

"Totally. Come here." Lorelai reached out and arm and Rory crawled back into the bed and rested her head on it. Lorelai kissed her daugther's forehead before she continued.

"Honey, I'm so sorry we didn't get to talk about your problems tonight. All this stuff with Suzy, you know…"

"I know… I don't really feel like talking about it anyway. I'm just glad to be back," Rory said before she closed her eyes and yawned.

"He must have been special." Lorelai mumbled. This made Rory's eyes pop back open.

"Why would you say that?" she asked

"I mean…you moved in with him and everything. That means he must have been at least a little bit special," Lorelai concluded.

"He was..." Rory nodded. "He was…caring and he had a sweet face, a pretty smile…He was strong and independent…" she looked up into her mother's eyes. "I really thought he was the one, Mum. When I found out about the other girl, I thought I was going to die, I swear." Rory's eyes filled up with tears, one tear escaped and ran quietly down her right cheek. Lorelai wiped it away tenderly. She hesitated for a second, because she was unsure whether she should let Rory cry or try to make her think more positively. She decided to do the latter.

"Hey, hey, slow down." she said in a determined voice. "This guy crushed your heart, and all you do is list up his qualities? Come on, Rory, you're a woman now. You should be listing all the bad stuff you know about him, all the things you defidently won't miss. Let me hear at least ten reasons why you're glad you'll never have to see him again."

Rory thought it over before she answered.

"I can't think of anything," she exclaimed with a sigh.

"Oh please!" Lorelai wasn't satisfied with that answer. "He's a guy, there has to be a whole bunch of negative sides to him. What is he, Superman or something?"

Rory had to smile.

"Mum, it's not that hard to name a negative side to Superman. He wears his undies over his pants, for crying out loud," she giggled.

"See, there are bad things to say about everyone." Lorelai smiled. "Now, let me hear something about Danny."

Rory had to think for a few seconds.

"Well, I guess…I guess I wish he didn't have such a good relationship with his ex…"

Lorelai's smile became wider.

"See, this is good. Keep 'em coming!"

"He used way to much gel in his hair, he had this obsession about always being in control of the remote, he hated dogs, even cute puppies, and he always nagged at me when I was in the bathroom." Rory had to smile, this wasn't as hard as she had imagined it to be. Lorelai smiled back.

"There you go, you're much better off without him," she said before she rubbed her nose against her daugther's.

For a while, they just lay there without saying anything. After a few minutes, Lorelai had to ask her daugther something.

"So...have you had any time to think about...you know...what you're going to do next?" her voice faltered. "You know you're welcome to stay here for as long as you like."

"I know." Rory answered in a tired voice. "I haven't really thought about it all that much yet. Do you think I could do some work at the inn? Temporarily, I mean, until I figure out what I want."

"Like you used to do before college?" Lorelai smiled. "Of course. You're over-qualified though, how often can I get a Yale graduate to flip the sheets?"

Rory chuckled.

"Thanks, Mum..." she mumbled. Then she yawned and closed her eyes. _This could work out really great. _She thought to herself just as she felt the tiredness winning her over._ Just like being a kid again, only without the homework._ _But then again, homework wasn't always that bad..._

* * *

The next morning when Lorelai came downstairs with Suzannah on her arm, Rory was up already. She had made breakfast and was sitting at the kitchen table all by herself sipping coffee when Lorelai entered the room. Both of the Gilmore sisters were in their pyjamas, they both had typical "pillow-hair", and they both yawned constantly. Rory was fully dressed and seemed to have been awake for quite a while. 

"Good morning, sleepyheads!" she said cheerfully. She got two grunts in reply.

"Have you seen Luke?" Lorelai asked while she sat down by the table with Suzannah on her lap. Rory got up and poured her mother some coffee. She knew that that would get her in a better mood.

"Yeah, he's in the bathroom" she said and sat down again. "Poor Luke, he spent the night on the couch! I'm sorry I sent him out of his own bed."

"Don't be, I'm sure he didn't mind." Lorelai took sip of her coffee. "That couch is excellent sleeping material, look at what it did to Kirk."

"Did what to Kirk?" Suzannah asked curiously while she stretched out for a pop-tart. Lorelai and Rory exchanged some sly looks.

"Nothing!" they both replied at the same time. Suzannah looked suspiciously at Rory.

"Rory, did you sit on me yesterday?" she asked. Rory had to smile.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't see you." She answered. Then she remeberd something. "Hey, Suzy, why don't you run upstairs for a moment and see if Luke's ready soon?" she suggested. Suzannah nodded and took of. Rory turned to her mother.

"So, you never told me how you handled Grandma yesterday?" she asked. Lorelai sighed.

"I had something on her. She's thrown away Suzy's favourite toy. You remember Lumpy, right?" Rory nodded.

"That disgusting thing we had to dig out of the toilet once, right?" she asked, clearly disusted.

"Exactly. So I told her that was the reason why I called. Then she asked me if I could "make up something". Apparently, she thinks I'm good at that."

"I see..." Rory waited for her mother to continue.

"Yeah. Typical of her, isn't it? I don't get that many compliments from my mother, but when I do get one, she tells me I'm a good liar." Lorelai sighed once more. "Anyway, I told her I won't. She's on her own with this one."

"That's probably the best way to do it." Rory nodded.

"Yeah...So, it's going to be extremely interesting to hear what she has come up with when they return on Friday." Lorelai barely managed to finish her sentence before her sister came running back into the room. "Hey, was Luke ready?" Lorelai asked while she picked the girl back up onto her lap.

"Almost." Suzannah reached for another pop-tart. Lorelai chuckled. The little girl had obviously inherited hers and Rory's eating habits; as much and as unhealthy as possible.

"Lorelai?" Suzannah had taken a bite, and began talking with food in her mouth. _That's my sister all right_, Lorelai thought to herself. Suzannah continued.

"Can you take me to ballet class on Monday?" she asked her older sister. Lorelai shook her head.

"Mum and Dad will be back by then. Mum will take you," she explained. Suzannah didn't seem to be happy with the response.

"Can't you take me anyway? Please, Lorelai!" she had stopped eating and was staring deep into her sister's eyes.

"Why? Don't you want to go with Mum?" Lorelai asked. She was surprised that Suzannah had brought up this subject.

"Uhm...If you take me, the other kids will think that you're my mum. When other kids see me and Mummy together, they always think she's my grandmother..." Suzannah explained, while she avoided eye-contact with either of them. "Then, when I tell them that she's my mum, they look at me like I'm reallt weird..."

Lorelai wasn't sure what to answer. She could see Suzannah's problem, but she was unsure what to do about it. She looked at Rory, but she just shrugged.

"I'll...I'll talk to Mum about it." Lorelai heard the words coming out of her mouth, but she wasn't sure why. Suzannah smiled at her.

"Thanks!" she said before she jumped off her sister's lap and ran into the livingroom to watch TV.

Lorelai emptied her cup of coffee at a single gulp.

"First the Lumpy-thing, now this. This Friday just keeps getting more and more interesting..." she mumbled.

* * *

Lorelai was only half-right. In all the excitement of the new toys her parents had brought with them, Suzannah completely forgot about the teddy bear, at least for the moment. The other thing, however, she had not forgotten about. In the short ten minutes Richard and Emily were there, Suzannah managed to look suggestively at Lorelai 14 times. When she started hawking as well, Lorelai couldn't take it any more. 

"Hey, Mum, would you mind coming upstairs with me for a moment?" she asked as she got onto her feet. Emily looked at her daughter questioningly, but decided to follow her nevertheless.

"What is this about, Lorelai?" she asked as she sat her foot on the last step.

"It was just...Suzy, she asked me if I could take her to ballet class on Monday..." Lorelai explained. Emily wasn't sure what to say, she was clearly confused.

"Why would she ask you to do that?" she wondered. "I thought I was taking her...I've been looking forward to taking her." Emily had awaited this ballet class for weeks, she had always seen Suzannah as a very graceful little girl, very different from her older sister. She had bought her daugther a tailored costume, and she had found Lorelai's old ballet slippers in the basement. And now, all of a sudden, Suzannah didn't want her to be there?

"Actually, Mum, she asked because..." Lorelai stopped in the middle of a sentence. She didn't want to hurt her mother's feelings, and she was defidently not in the mood for a discussion. Somehow, Suzannah would have to deal with the situation. Lorelai knew it would be esaier to talk her sister into letting Emily go with her, then to talk Emily into not going.

"She asked because she didn't think you'd be home by then. Now she knows you are, so I guess...everything is all right!" Lorelai knew that wasn't a very good explanation for having pulled her mother with her to another room, but she couldn't think of a better excuse. Instead, she just turned around and walked briskly down the stairs. _Why can't Suzy see how lucky she is? _She thought to herself._ I wish Mum had been that eager to do something fun with me when I was little. _She skipped a few steps, as she wiped away a tiny tear from her left eye. _She even admits it to me, she said it straight out "I'm looking forward to taking her..."_

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she pulled herself together. Suzannah was sitting on the floor right in front of her, playing with her brand new barbie doll. Lorelai waited until her mother had passed them and gone out to the others on the porch before she kneeled down next to her sister.

"Look, I forgot that I have to work on Monday, so I can't take you to that ballet-thing." Lorelai said with her fingers crossed behind her back. She could see the dissapointment on Suzannah's face. "But Mum will take you, it will be great. You're there to learn how to dance, right? Not to listen to what the other kids might say..."

Suzannah nodded.

"Yeah, I guess..." she mumbled. Lorelai could see that she was dissapointed, but she didn't have anything comforting to say. Instead she just went out to the others.

Suzannah followed her big sister outside, where Richard and Emily were torturing Luke by talking about golf, while Rory was reading a book. Suzannah went over to her and pulled on the sleeve of Rory's pullover.

"Rory, can I talk to you?" she whispered. Rory put her book away.

"Spy talk, all right! I'm in," she let her aunt pull her into the hallway. Suzannah let go of her arm.

"Lorelai can't take me to ballet. Can you?" she asked with a begging expression on her face, like a dog who wants a cookie. "Maybe they'll think you're my mum. You look old enough."

Rory sat down on the floor and pulled the girl onto her lap.

"Look, I know you think it's creepy when other kids look at you," she said in a gentle voice."But trust me, you'll regret it if you don't do stuff with your mum."

"How do you know?" Suzannah looked up at her.

"Because my mum wasn't like all the other mummys either." Rory said in a low voice. "Always when I'd bring new kids home, they'd ask me how old she was, and then they'd calculate how old she was when she had me. Always the same drill. I didn't like it very much."

Suzannah nodded understandingly, so Rory continued.

"But then I'd always think "What if I wasn't born when my mum was 16? Then I would never had been born at all, I wouldn't have been me. Do you see what I mean?"

Suzannah nodded again.

"It's the same with you. You can't let Gra..I mean, you can't let you mummy suffer for having you when she did. If she hadn't, then you wouldn't have been you. You should be happy that you are who you are, and that you have a mother who wants to do nice things with you. Don't throw that away, Suzy, you're way to smart for that." Rory ran her hand over Suzannah's forehead. Suzannah was about to answer when they heard Richard calling from outside.

"Suzannah, we have to go now!"

Suzannah got up, and pulled Rory's hand to get her up as well. Rory smiled at her.

"Now, you're going to go to that ballet practice with your mummy, and you're going to have fun. Have I made myself clear?" she asked and pretended to be strict.

"Yes, Rory." The little girl smiled at her.

"Good. Now, let's go." Rory opened the door, picked Suzannah up and carried her out to her parents.

* * *

_Please leave me a review, it's extremely inspiering. I'll try to be quicker to update this time. The next chapter will be mainly about Richard's relationship to Suzannah._


	4. It’s a cruel world

_And I'm back! Thanks for the reviews, you people make me smile all day long! _

_Like I promised, this chapter will mainly be about Richard and Suzannah. My beta and I agreed that this chapter somehow fits perfectly in, but somehow doesn't. Confused? Don't worry, just enjoy your reading. For those of you who are longing for the big "Emily-Lorelai"discussion, it will come in the next chapter, that will be posted sometime next week, if I can manage to keep my homework under control._

_Here's the chapter, please read and review!_

**It's a cruel world** by Ane Berentsen

"Emily, could you come and get Suzannah, please?" Richard called from his study. He had two of his colleagues over for an emergency meeting, and as much as he wanted to, this was not the time to play with a four yearl old. Emily came rushing through the hallway to get her.

"There you are. I told you not to disturb Daddy right now," she said with a smile on her face as Richard handed her Suzannah. Once she had her child safely placed on her hip she turned towards the two men in the chairs in front of Richard's desk. "I hope she hasn't caused any trouble."

"Not at all," It was Floyd, Richard's colleague. Emily had never really liked that man, and she certainly didn't like the way he looked at her daughter; as if she was some kind of vermin who should be removed imidiately. As Emily brought her youngest daughter with her out of the room, she admitted to herself that she somehow liked it when the child interupted her father's business meetings like this. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, maybe because the little girl twirled through the room like a summer breeze and brushed of the dust from the business men's old grey suits. Maybe because it gave her an excuse to come into their private little world for a moment, without making her any less of a good wife. Or maybe it was simply because she could see how much Richard liked it when he could look up from the papers for a moment and concentrate on something more cheerful. Emily's thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. She put Suzannah down and went to answer it.

In Richard's study the atmosphere was quite tense.

"So, you see, Richard, if we let McLane's new company get this contract, it will be the first nail in the coffin for the Gilmore Group!" Floyd sounded upset. Richard couldn't blame him.

"Why did Simon ever have to start his own company, anyway? He's too old for that kind of stuff," Richard still couldn't stand being in the same room with Simon McLane, not after what had happened between him and Emily during Richard and Emily's seperation. Now McLane had started an insurance company of his own, and was desperate to get it up and running.

"I'm telling you, we'd better put all our forces on for this one," Floyd continued. "Don't plan on anything special this weekend, we must put all other things aside!

When the meeting was over about an hour later, Richard followed his colleagues to the door before he went to the living room, where Suzannah was drawing and Emily was reading. When she saw her husband, she got up. Richard could see that she was excited about something.

"Richard, that was Vivian on the phone earlier. She and some of the girls are going to a spa resort this weekend, they won a weekend-stay there, and they asked if I came with them. Do you think you two can manage alone for a few days?" Emily asked. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she really wanted him to say yes. He sat down on the couch and ruffled Suzannah's hair before he answered.

"This weekend? Emily, I don't know, I have to work a lot the next couple of days..." he tried meekly. Emily's expression became dissapointed.

"Oh, all right. I'll phone her and tell her I can't make it," Emily turned and was about to leave the room.

"No, wait." Richard got up. "I guess...I can probably work from home quite a bit. Suzannah's a big girl now, she can manage to be quiet and entertain herself for a while, can't you, princess?" The girl nodded, without looking up from her drawings.

"Are you sure?" Emily asked. She was grateful for the gesture, but she had to make sure Suzannah would be all right.

"Yes, I'm sure..." Richard leaned forwards and gave his wife a kiss. This caused Suzannah to turn away while making sounds as if she was about to throw up. "If there is any kind of trouble, I'll call Lorelai and ask for help."

"Thank you, Richard." Emily seemed relieved. "I'll go pack right now." She blew him a kiss as she left the room. Richard smiled at her.

"I don't see why you need a spa vacationthough, it can't possibly make you any more beautiful than you already are!" he called after her. He could hear her laugh as she went up the stairs. Then he turned to Suzannah again and shook his head.

"Oh my, how are we going to manage this?" he asked rhetoricaly. The girl shrugged.

* * *

It was getting late and Luke had already gone to bed, he had to get up early in the morning to get his deliveries to the diner. Lorelai and Rory however, had parked themselves in front of the TV to see "King Kong". The coffee table was filled with cookie dough, marshmellows and other kinds of junk food that would have made Luke call the funeral agency right away if he had seen it. Just as Lorelai pushed the "Play"-button on the remote, the phone started ringing. Both the girls sighed at the same time. Lorelai got up. 

"I'll get it," she said as she stretched over the table to reach the phone. "Hello, this is Lorelai speaking?"

"Lorelai...it's me." It was Richard, and he didn't sound too good. Lorelai remembered that he had Suzannah to himself this weekend, and she became worried.

"Dad, hi, why are you calling this late? Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Yes, there is something terribly wrong. You should come over right now." All though the words were dramatic, Richard's voice was very calm.

"OK, me and Rory will be there in a flash. What's going on, Dad? Is it Suzy?" Lorelai asked while she gestured to Rory as though to say "We have to hurry!" Rory turned the TV off and went into the hallway to get the jackets.

"Suzannah is fine, Lorelai, don't worry about her. I will explain it all when you get here," Richard said and took and deep breath before he continued. "Please hurry."

"Will do, Dad," Lorelai finished before she hung up and ran after Rory out the front door.

"There goes our movie-night," she said while trying to catch her breath. Rory nodded.

"Ah well. Do you think we should leave Luke a note or something?" she asked as she opened the door to the car.

"Nah, that's alright. He knows how to reach me, I have my cellphone," Lorelai answered as she got into the driver's seat. Rory sat down next to her.

"What did Granpa say, exactly?" she asked as Lorelai started the car.

"He didn't say all that much. He said that there was something terribly wrong, but Suzy is alright, so we shouldn't worry about her. And he said to hurry," Lorelai explained.

"Weird...I hope it's nothing too bad," Rory mumbled.

* * *

When they arrived in Hartford around 30 minutes later, they didn't even have the time to knock before Richard opened the door. He wasn't dressed as neatly as usual, he wasn't wearing a jacket or a west, his tie wasn't tied, and his whole apperance was a bit sloppy. 

"You're here, good," he said as he let them in. The expression on his face was sad, but somwhow in a solemn way. This made Lorelai even more nervous than she already was.

"So, your call really scared us...Would you mind telling us why we're here?" she asked as the three of them went into the livingroom. She tried to make it sound as if she wasn't worried at all, but she didn't succed.

"Is it Grandma?" Rory asked. The fright was obvious in her voice. "Has something happened to Grandma?" Richard sat down on the couch and signaled that the girls should sit down as well. When they had done so, he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Today, I've discovered that the woman I love has been lieing to me..." he looked up and into Lorelai and Rory's confused faces before he continued. "I am not Suzannah's biological father."

The silence that occured after he had said this was so quiet that one could have heard a pin hit the floor. It lasted for a few seconds, then Lorelai rewon her ability to speak.

"What do you mean, dad?" she asked. "That can't be true, can it?"

"I'm afraid so..." Richard answered. "I found out earlier today. Do you remember a man named Simon McLane?" Rory shook her head, but Lorelai tried to dig out something from the back of her memory.

"McLane, it does sound familiar...Wait, wasn't that that guy Mum...dated, or whatever, when you two were seperated? What about him?" Lorelai couldn't see what her father was saying.

"He is her real father, not me." Richard tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't hard to tell that it hurt him very much to let the words out of his mouth. "He came over earlier today, we had agreed to have a meeting, about this contract that we're both out to get. While he was here, Suzannah came in to ask me to tie her shoe-laces..." Richard's voice was getting thinner and thinner with every word he spoke. He had to hawk before he could continue. " When she had left, he said "I hope you know you can thank me for that beautiful child!" I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there quietly while he told me how he and Emily had agreed to keep it a secret, at least for a while, until things were better between me and her. Apparently, he thought she had waited long enough..." he finished.

Rory and Lorelai looked at each other before they looked back at Richard. It was Rory who broke the silence this time.

"I still don't understand. Are you saying Grandma has been cheating on you?" she asked in a faltering voice. Richard shook his head.

"No, it's not that terrible. It seems like Suzannah was concieved before me and your grandmother got back together," he explained. Lorelai felt as if it was her turn to talk.

"You're still my dad, right?" she knew it was an incredibly stupid question, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"Of course, Lorelai, I'm both yours and Suzannah's father and I always will be. Biological facts can not change that," he assured her and tried to smile. Then he became serious again. "The reason why I told you to come her as fast as you could was that...I realized today that every day, every hour, every minute you keep the truth from someone, is one too much." He leaned back and stared up in the ceiling. " I just wish Emily could have realized that too."

"Have you called her and asked if she has any explanation to this?" Rory asked in an incredulous way. Richard shook his head again.

"I have nothing to say to that woman. In fact, I think I need sometime to myself right now. Do you have any more questions?" Rory and Lorelai both had a ton of questions, but they realized that this wasn't the time to ask them.

* * *

When they were back in the car, Lorelai allowed her anger to show. 

"I can't believe her! To do something like that, it's just...too cruel. Both to Dad and Suzy!" she exclaimed and took her frustration out on the steering wheel by hitting it. It hurted her hand more than it hurted the car. "Ouch!" She rubbed her hand against her thigh.

"We should have noticed it before. I mean, blond hair? None of us ever had that!" She looked at Rory. "I feel a bit mean right now."

"Why, because you taught Grandma how to date?" Rory mumbled

"No, not that, but thanks for reminding me!" Lorelai said sarcasticly. "No, I meant...I've always been kind of jealous of what Suzy has..you know...with my parents that I never had. Now it turns out it was all based on a lie."

"I still can't believe it's true. Why would Grandma do such a thing?" Rory seemed petulant.

"Well, I guess telling your husband that you're pregnant when you're 53 is hard enough. To add "And by the way, it's not even your baby" can't be esay." Between other people this would have seemed like a morbid joke, but Rory knew her mother well enough to know that this was her way of dealing with what they had been told.

"Guess not," she said dryly.

* * *

When the girls had left, Richard was alone with his thoughts, and they weren't a pleasant company. He went over to the drink cart and was about to pour himself a drink, but once he had picked up the glass, he felt the sudden need to throw it as far away as possible with all the energy he could gather up. As he saw the glass lie on the floor, shattered into a thousand pieces, he listened to hear if the sound had woken up Suzannah. He couldn't hear anything, but decided to check on her anyway. 

When he stood next to her bed a minute later, he could see that she was still asleep. He ran his fingers through her hair and then over her cheek. He loved admiring her like this, just watching her while she played, or slept like now. Normally he would do this to make sure that he didn't miss a thing about her, like he had missed so much of Lorelai when she was a child. Today, however, he scrutinized her for a different reason; to see if he could detect something of Simon McLane in her face. After having studied her for quite a while, he concluded that there was nothing different about her this evening, she was still the same little girl she always had been.

He rememberd the first time he had seen her, he was the first person ever to hold her and talk to her. Even back then she had relaxed once she had heard his voice, she could cry for hours and still would be silent as soon as he picked her up. This became such a normality that Emily nicknamed him "the pacifier". Oh, yes, Emily. He shook his head as if that would help getting her out of there. He didn't want to think of her now.

He turned around and saw Suzannah's dollhouse on the floor. It used to be Lorelai's, but it looked as if it was brand new. Lorelai had never been allowed to play roughly with it, and Suzannah was much too careful to destroy anything. He rememberd the day they had given it to her. It was her fourth birthday, Lorelai and Luke had been there, and Emily had arranged a treasure hunt for the enourmous gift. When Suzannah finally found it hidden under a sheet in the kitchen, she just gasped and couldn't move for quite a few seconds, before she began playing with it in a careful, almost solemn way. Lorelai had laughed and pointed out that that was the way they had wanted her to react when she got it. Back then he hadn't really thought much about it, but he now realized that there had been a somewhat hurt, perhaps even envious undertone in what Lorelai had said. What a nuisance, when Suzannah was old enough to understand what he had discovered today, it would be her who envied Lorelai instead...

He decided to try and get some sleep, even though he doubted he could. As he left the room, he knocked the door against the wall a bit too hard, and Suzannah woke up. She sat up and made a short squeaking sound. He hurried over to her bed.

"It's all right, princess, you just go back to sleep," he said in a soft voice and tucked her in. Suzannah looked up at him for a second before she closed her eyes.

"I love you, daddy..." she mumbled before she turned her head and seemed to be sleeping again. Richard remained by her bed for a few seconds, then he leaned forewards and kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you to, cherie..." he whispered. At that moment, he knew that everything would be alright. He touched his wedding ring with his thumb as he left the room. Well, almost everything.

When Lorelai and Rory came home, it was too late to begin their movie night. Neither of them was in the mood to watch movies anyway. Rory went straight to bed, but Lorelai knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, so she stayed in the livingroom, stuffing marshmellows into her mouth.

When she had been sitting there for a while, feeling useless and rather saturated, she decided that she had to do something. She got up and went to get her phone. She dialed her mother's cell phone number, but she only got the asnwering machine. _That figures_ she thought to herself. _Why would she be up in the middle of the night? _After hesitating for a second, she decided to leave a message. As she was speaking, she restlessly wandered around her livingroom.

"Hello, mother. It's me, Lorelai...Well, of course it's me, who else would call you this late and call you her mother? Not Suzy, that's for sure, because A) She doesn't know how to dial a number and B) It's way past her bedtime. So unless you have any more secrets, mother...Yeah, we know about your secret now...Dad's totally crushed. And you're not my favourite person at the moment. Guess that's not exactly big news, cause...you know. You rarely are, but still. Anyway, Dad doesn't want to call you, or talk to you but, I just thought maybe you could call him, or whatever. Do whatever you want, but please, mum, I'm begging you, try to fix this."

After having hung up, she took a deep breath.

"Now I feel better. I think I can get some sleep now," she told herself . She knew that it wasn't true, but decided to go to bed anyway.

* * *

The next morning, Richard sent Suzannah to a neigbour's house to play with a friend. He felt like spending the day on his own, so he settled on the couch in his robe. He was about to read the Washington Post for the third time when he heard someone opening the front door. Two seconds later, Emily walked briskly into the room. 

"Richard, what is going on here? I woke up this morning to be scolded by my own daughter on my answering machine! She said you're not speaking to me? What is this?" she was clearly very upset. Richard got up slowly and stared deeply into her eyes.

"How dare you ask me that question?" he asked in a low, almost threatening voice. Emily looked at him as if she thought he had gone mad.

"Richard, I don't understand...," she began, but was interrupted by Richard's yell.

"I know, now, Emily! I know that you've been keeping the truth from me! I know I'm not Suzannah's father!" he hollered. Emily came over to him. He was shocked to see that she didn't seem shameful or sorry in any way.

"Who on earth has claimed that?" she asked in surprisingly calm voice.

"Simon McLane, of course. Her real father!" Richard was far from calm. Emily ran her hand over his shoulder, he was too confused by her reaction to ask her to stop it.

"Richard, this is pure nonsense. Simon McLane is not Suzannah's father, you are. I can assure you." She looked into his eyes. Richard didn't know what to do or say, but somehow he instantly knew that she was telling the truth. He sat back down on the couch and stared right ahead of himself. When Emily sat down next to him, he turned to her.

"Are you sure?" His voice was thinner now. Emily nodded.

"The only thing I ever did with Mr. McLane was to have dinner at a resturant. I know science has come a long way in our days, but I hope it will take a while before something as that can impregnate a woman," she said in a firm voice. Richard was extremely confused.

"But...but why would he say that?" he asked. Emily had to think.

"Didn't you tell me that you're up against him these days? Something about an important contract?" she asked suspiciously. Richard nodded.

"Yes. He was hoping to make this the foundation for his new company..." he confirmed. " But what does that have to do with this?"

"Richard, think about it. If Lorelai hadn't phoned me, I would still have been at the spa. I was hard to reach, so we were lucky that she managed to get through. You would have remained on this couch, wallowing in your pity, until I got back on Monday. You wouldn't have managed to do any work at all. Without you, your team doesn't stand a chance at stealing this contract from McLane, it would have been ten times easier for him to get what he wanted." Emily was quite proud of herself for having figured this out. Richard was still confused.

"How did he know you would be gone for the weekend?" he asked. Emily frowned.

"You have a point, he couldn't know that...Unless...He might have had something to do with this mysterious lottery we won the spa stay from. None of the girls could remember having bought a ticket," Emily was thinking out loud.

"That bastard!" Richard got up. He radiated anger. "I just feeling like tracking him down and give him a good beating!"

"And you will," Emily said calmly as she got up as well. "But not the way you're thinking of. You will get dressed, go to the office and make sure you win that contract."

Richard needed a little time to think it over before he realized that his wife had made the perfect suggestion.

"You're right!" he said and hurried out of the room. When he reached the door, he rememberd something and turned.

"What about Suzannah? She's at the Robertsons..." he asked in a faltering voice.

"Don't worry, I'll stay at home. You just have to get going!" Emily seemed determined. Richard got halfway to the stairs before he remeberd something else.

"Oh, and Emily?" he said as he came back to the door. "I'm so sorry I suspected you of lying to me. I really am."

"So am I, but we'll have that discussion later. Now, hurry up!" she almost yelled. Richard nearly ran upstairs.

A few days later, the whole Gilmore clan was gathered for a dinner at the elder Gilmore's residence. Suzannah had already gone to bed, and Richard was proudly telling the story of his latest work achievement.

"...and you should have seen McLane's face! It should have been video-taped! I've never seen such an amusing sight in my life!" he chuckled.

Rory smiled at him.

"Wow, I can't believe anyone would do something like that to get a contract! The business world must be rougher than I though!"

Richard nodded.

"Well, I almost feel sorry for the fellow. He can kiss his company good bye now!"

"That settles it, I'm not going to be a business woman," Rory concluded. "I wouldn't have what it takes."

"I think you would. It takes some smart women. Remember, your grandfather couldn't have done this without me!" Emily blinked to her granddaughter.

"_You_ couldn't have done it without _me,_" It was Lorelai who tossed in her opinion.

Little did either of them know that this alliance between mother and daughter wouldn't last very long...

* * *

_Hope you liked it, please leave me a review. As mentioned, the next chapter will be about Emily and Lorelai (and I hope I'll finish it sometime in the not too distant future;)) so please stay tuned..._


	5. Family Portrait

**OK, I'll admit it took a little longer than I promised, but here's chapter 5. I was planning to make one long chapter to finish this story but ended up making two shorter ones instead. Here's the first of the two:**

_**Family Portrait**_

It was a Friday night, and Lorelai and Rory were having dinner at Emily's and Richard's. Not because they had to- the deal they once had finished once Rory graduated- but because Emily had suggested to have dinner for old time's sake, with Rory around and all, and Lorelai hadn't been able to think of a good excuse to get out of it.

It was a gathering of four Gilmore girls around the dinner table this evening; both Luke and Richard were kept away by their jobs. After Suzannah had told them all about her progress in ballet class, and Emily had complained about her staff for about ten minutes, the unavoidable happened; Emily turned to Rory, cleared her throat and asked the question Lorelai and Rory had been betting on would come.

"So, Rory, have you decided what you want to do with your life yet?" Emily's voice sounded as if this was simply a question to keep the conversation floating, but Rory knew it was more than that. She knew her grandmother wasn't too happy with her making beds at the inn when she could have gotten a job in journalism.

"Actually, I got a very interessting e-mail the other day. Apparently someone in this rather large New York paper has been reading some of the stuff I wrote during my last job. So now they want me to come and work for them" Rory said with a smile on her face, happy to have something to answer. "Nothing huge or anything, I'd probably be running around getting coffee for people, but it would still be a step up from what I did before," she continued. Emily was pleased.

"That's wonderful! When will you go back?" she asked, before she realized that she might have sounded as if she wanted her granddaugther to leave as soon as possible. Before she had the time to correct herself, she was interrupted by Lorelai.

"She hasn't accepted it yet, Mum. I've told her that she doesn't have to go back to live in that appartment if she's not sure she wants to." Lorelai explained. She wasn't sure if _she_ was too keen on Rory going away again, but she wanted this to be her daugther's decision.

"I understand that, Lorelai." Emily said before she turned to Rory again. "Still, it must be lovely to have some options. I suppose you don't wish to live in your mother's house forever." Rory shook her head and was about to answer when Suzannah interrupted her.

"I'm going to live in this house forever!" she exclaimed. "Can I, Mummy?"

"I think you'll change your mind about that when you're a little older," Emily said with a smile.

"You bet..." Lorelai mumbled and took a sip from her glass. Emily frowned at her, but decided to keep quiet as to not disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

* * *

When Rory and Lorelai were driving home little later, they talked about the job offer Rory had gotten. 

"It would be so totally stupid of me not to take it. I mean, we found out that I could get my old appartment back, so at least I have somewhere to live. And it's...it's a great opportunity, I guess..." Rory was thinking aloud.

"Sure. But remember, if you want to stay at home for a little longer, it's no trouble. We love having you, you know that, right?" Lorelai assured her daughter.

"It's not that I don't feel welcomed, I just...Isn't it kind of lame to live with your mum and her boyfriend when you're 25?" Rory asked.

Lorelai didn't have a good answer to that. They were in the driveway now and Lorelai stopped the car. Rory jumped out of the car and waited for her mother to follow her. Lorelai was about to retrieve her keys and her cell phone and get out of the car when she realized something.

"Oh, man!" she said and knocked herself in the forehead.

"What is it?" Rory came around the car. Lorelai rolled down the window.

"I left my cell in Hartford. Remember, I had to charge it?" she said before she sighed deeply. "I have to go back and get it."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Rory only just managed to get the words out before she had to yawn. Lorelai shook her head.

"Na-ah, it's OK. You go inside and get some thinking done. I know there's a lot on your mind these days." Lorelai smiled sympathetically at her daughter. "When Luke comes home, tell him I'll be back real soon."

Rory nodded as Lorelai rolled the window back up and backed out of the driveway.

* * *

At the same time in Hartford, Emily was putting her youngest child to bed. Suzannah was grumpy- she had realized several days ago that her favourite teddy bear hadn't come home when it was supposed to. This night was particularly bad. No Lumpy, no dad, and she wasn't half as tired as her mother. 

"I don't want to go to bed!" she screamed as Emily helped her to put her nightgown on.

"Please Suzannah, can't you be good today? Mummy's tired..." Emily begged as she lifted her daughter into bed.

"I want my Lumpy!" the girl continued in the same squeaky voice. "If I can't have Lumpy, then I don't want to sleep!"

"Suzannah, that's enough!" Emily lowered her voice and sounded very strict. She tucked her daughter in in a firm and determined way, before she went over to the door and turned the lights off. Suzannah wasn't ready to give in yet, she sat right back up.

"I don't want to sleep!" she repeated, defiantly, before she kicked away her quilt and was about to climb back out of bed. This time, Emily had had it.

"Suzannah Emily Gilmore! Get back to bed right now!" she yelled as she went over to her daughter and lifted her back into bed. "I don't want to hear another word from you tonight!" As Emily turned to leave the room, Suzannah did something she wouldn't ever know the consequences of, at least not that night.

"I hate you!" she exclaimed before she turned towards the wall.

As Emily realized what her daughter had just said, something inside of her was destroyed, it felt as if someone had pulled her heart out of and packed her spine in ice cubes. But except for a small, hardly visible jerk that went through her body, it was impossible to tell that she was feeling any different than she usually would. She kept her mask on until she had left the room, walked down the stairs and sat down in the livingroom. Then, and not a moment sooner, she allowed the tears to run freely.

She looked up at the picture above the fireplace. Richard and Lorelai and she herself looked back down at her. All of Suzannah's life Emily had turned away when her look swept past this picture. It reminded her of what kind of a family she did not want to have ever again. She had promised herself that Suzannah would never have to feel distant from her parents the way Lorelai seemed to have. The girl between her parents seemed so misplaced, her eyes were begging to be anywhere, but where she was. Emily was unsure who to blame for the fact that things had turned out the way they did between her and Lorelai. She wasn't sure when it had all started, but one incident appeared to her as a milestone. It was the first time anyone had ever said those three perilous words to her. "I hate you". The first time, and it was her own daughter who had said them.

The three people in the picture seemed to be looking down on her with contempt, it was if they wanted to say "Well, look at that. You managed to screw things up again..."

Emily was relieved when she heard someone coming through the front door, anything that could get her out of this track of thoughts was gratefully welcomed.

Two seconds later Lorelai came into the room. Emily quickly blinked her eyes a couple of times, and hoped it wasn't too obvious that she had cried.

"Mum! You're still up, good! I think I forgot my..."Lorelai interrupted herself. "Is there something wrong? You don't look too good..." she said as she went closer to the couch. Emily cleared her throat.

"Lorelai, would you mind sitting down for a minute? I...want to talk to you about something." Lorelai was caught by surprise, but after thinking about it for a short second she nodded and flung herself down into one of the armchairs.

"OK, what is it?" she asked, slightly nervous. "I'm not becoming a big sister again, am I?"

Emily simply shook her head, and took a deep breath before she answered.

"I'm losing Suzannah. Just like I lost you," she said, while staring down on the floor. Lorelai didn't understand.

"What? You're not losing her. That's nonsense," she began, but her mother interrupted her.

"Tonight, after you left, your sister told me that she hates me. I've been through this before, Lorelai. That's how it begins." Emily's voice was quiet, but shivering. Lorelai sighed.

"That's all? That's what this is about? Come on, Mum, she's four! She's probably just going through a phase or something, testing her limits. Every kid says stuff like that when they're four."

"Did Rory ever say that?" Emily tried to get eye-contact with her daugther, but Lorelai avoided her. "Lorelai, look me into the eyes and tell me that your daughter did this to you!" Lorelai was unsure what to answer.

"I'm not sure if she used that exact word, but trust me, there was plenty of times when I wasn't her favourite person," she said and tried to sound convincing.

"If she had told you that she hated you, you would have rememberd. You never forget anything like that!" Emily got up and walked a few steps away. She was desperately blinking to stop the tears from coming. "Why couldn't you and I be as close as you and Rory? Why is it that I can't seem to have a good relationship to either of my daughters?" she asked. She tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible, but it wasn't esay.

"Please, Mum, we've had that discussion a thousand times before!" Lorelai said in a dejective voice. She understood that Emily wanted her to say that she was doing better at motherhood this time, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to say that.It just didn't seem fair."Me and you, and me and Rory, those are two totally different stories. The reason why me and Rory are so close, is because we understand each other." The arguement was becoming more heated.

"Well, why couldn't I understand you?" Emily turned back to her. What she really wanted Lorelai to say was something like "You're doing a great job with Suzy, just keep it up that way." But Lorelai didn't say anything of the sort, she just kept becoming more and more upset.

"Like I said, we've been over this! I thought you were to controlling, you do not agree with that, you think I was impossible, and I do not agree with that! Do we have to waste more energy on this!"

This time, Emily didn't respond. Lorelai felt a wave of anger bubbling inside of her, and she knew this was the time to get it out.

"And don't say that you're going to lose Suzy! She's not me! She's totally different, she's...she's what you always wanted me to be!" Lorelai couldn't help the bitter tone in her voice. Emily didn't notice it.

"She told me she hates me!" Emily answered, but only got Lorelai's angry sigh in response.

"She doesn't hate you, Mum, can't you get that into your head? She loves you! You heard her earlier, she wants to stay here with you forever! Every time you're gone, she misses you, she even cries about it. I had to rock her to sleep every single night when you were away, she kept asking me where Mummy was..." Lorelai's voice was calmer, but still blistering. Emily was about to say something, but Lorelai interrupted her.

"And don't you say that it was because she "lost" her teddy bear! You know that wasn't half as important."

Emily sat back down on the couch and rested her head in her hands for a short while before she looked back up at her daughter.

"You sound like you're jealous," she said. She had meant to sound somewhat scornful, but she knew deep down that Lorelai might have good reasons for being envious. Lorelai looked away.

"Not exactly. I mean...of course I wish I had...what she has...you know...with you and dad and...everything." She looked back at Emily before she continued. "But don't get me wrong. I love Suzy, I want nothing but the best for her..." she sat back down in the chair. "I just...I wish it was me."

Emily wasn't quite sure what to answer. They sat there quietly for a few seconds. Lorelai felt the atmosphere strangling her slowly, she just wanted to leave as soon as possible, and was about to get up and do so when her mother opened her mouth.

"So...what should I do, then? You say you want what's best for your sister, tell me how I can prevent her from...slipping away," she said, in an indefinable low voice. Lorelai got up before she answered. She was unsure how to best make her mother understand what direction she would have to avoid. Then she thought of an example that she hoped would help Emily understand what she meant.

"To put it this way, Mum: It starts with getting rid of Lumpy...and it ends with getting rid of Luke." As left the room, Emily called after her. "That was four years ago! How many times are you going to hold that against me!" she yelled. The only answer she got was the slam of the door.

Emily looked back up at the picture on the wall. The faces seemed more judging than ever. She couldn't stand it anymore. She turned her back to the picture and hurried upstairs.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**What do you think? Please leave me a review...**

* * *


	6. Gilmore dramaqueens

**Hey, look who finally updated! Sorry it took so long but I hope it was worth waiting for. Here's the final chapter. **

Gilmore Dramaqueens

When Lorelai came back home, Luke was already in bed. Although she tried to be quiet, he woke up as she crawled into bed. He turned to her and instantly noticed that there was something wrong.

"Hey, you're back..." he mumbled. "What's up with the sad face?"

"Nothing..." Lorelai turned away from him and pulled the quilt up over her shoulders. Luke simply put his arm around her. He didn't ask again. He knew she'd tell him what was on her mind, she just needed to think it over first. And he was right. It only took about ten seconds before Lorelai turned around to face him.

"Well, you know... It's just the usual thing. My mum..." she mumbled. "I'm not even quite sure what we were fighting about, actually." She turned away from him again before she continued. "I think it was about Suzy...you know, about how Mum treats us differently and everything."

"And that's why you look so sad?" Luke didn't quite understand.

"And then this thing she did to us four years ago came up...I don't know why I threw that in, it didn't really have much to do with the rest." Lorelai sighed, and Luke pulled her closer to him. "I don't know anything right now," she whispered. "I just want to sleep."

* * *

In the mean time, in Hartford, Emily passed Suzannah's bedroom door on her way to bed. She stopped for a second to listen and see if the girl was awake, like she always did without thinking about it. Most nights there wasn't a sound, but tonight she heard some weak wimpering. As she went into the room, she could see that her daugther was crying in her sleep. Emily sat down next to her and carefully ran her hand over Suzannah's shoulder. This made the girl wake up. 

"I want my Lumpy..." she whimpered. Although Emily had heard those words dozens of times during the last couple of days, this time they made her more sad than annoyed.

"Oh, angel, if only I were able give you Lumpy back, I would, I swear" she whispered, and she knew she was telling the truth. For some reason, these words seemed to be what Suzannah had wanted to hear. She lay back down and closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Mummy," she yawned and Emily had to smile.

"Does that mean you're not mad at me anymore?" she asked. Her daughter just managed tonod her head slightly to respond before she went back to sleep. Emily remained by the bed for a little longer before she left the room, relieved that half of the burden she had carried five minutes earlier had been taken off of her.

* * *

The next morning, as Lorelai was about to leave for work, she realized that she hadn't brought her phone home with her, when the only reason why she went to her mother had been to get it. She considered going back, but decided she wasn't up for that right now. She grabbed her keys and left the house through the kitchen door just as Rory came out of her room. 

"Mum? Mum?" she called just before she heard Lorelai's car pulling out of the driveway.

_Ugh, bad luck_ she thought to herself. She looked down on the paper in her hand, this was something she really needed to talk to someone about. Ah well, if Lorelai wasn't availble, she'd have to find someone else. Rory resolutely walked out into the hallway and put on her jacket.

Not too long after, she walked into Luke's diner and found Lane behind the counter, pouring coffee into a cup.

"Hey Lane!" she called out. Lane jerked and spilled out some of the coffee.

"I had just gotten used to not having you come in here anymore, and then you're back!" she said with a smile. Lane was glad to have her best friend back in town, and the two of them had spent a lot of evenings going over Lane's old cd-s lately.

"Listen, I have something I need to talk to you about..." Rory sat down on a stool by the counter. "I got another e-mail today," she said as she handed Lane the paper. Lane skimmed through it.

"Wow, you're swimming in job offers while I'm stuck here, flipping burgers," she giggled.

"Swimming, huh? I've had two offers, that's all," Rory said with a grin. "And now I can't decide which one to take."

"Okay..." Lane thought it over for a second before she made a suggestion. "Let's look at the pros and cons of each of these jobs."

"Fine." Rory started counting on her fingers. "The first one is well-paid. I can live in my old appartment, where all my stuff is. It will look good in my future job applications...well, that's it."

"Good." Lane nodded. "What about the other one?"

"The other one doesn't pay as much, and won't give me the same status. And if I take it, I'll have to find a new place to live." Rory sighed, and Lane smiled at her.

"Sounds like you've already decided on what to do," she said and turned around to put the coffee pot back.

"It's just one thing, though..." Rory rested her elbows on the counter. Lane turned back to her.

"What?" she asked.

"The second job is closer to Mum...," Rory mumbled. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought.

* * *

Suzannah was sitting at the dining table, drawing, when Emily came into the room and sat down next to her. Yesterday's drama was still setting its mark on how she acted around her daughter. She somehow treated her with more care and forethought than she usually would. Suzannah's behaviour, on the other hand, was just like on any other day. _Lorelai was probably right – she didn't mean anything about it, _Emily thought to herself. She tucked her daughter's hair behind her ear and gave her a peck on the cheek. 

"Look, Suzannah, Daddy's coming home tomorrow. Would you like to decide what we should have for dinner then?" Suzannah looked up from her crayons.

"Can Lorelai and the others come?" she asked. Emily looked away.

"I don't think so, angel..." she answered. Her daugther didn't settle with that answer.

"Why not? I can call and ask them," she offered. "Please, Mummy? I just need a little help with dialing the number?" Suzy smiled at her mother eagerly.

Emily hestitaded for a second, but then she nodded.

"All right, then. I guess asking can't do any harm...," she concluded. Suzannah ran to find the phone, and handed it to her mother. Once Emily had dialed the number she gave her daugther the phone back and left the room. She certainly didn't want Lorelai to think she was trying to make Suzannah call _for_ her.

It was Rory who answered the phone.

"Hey Suzy, what's up?" she asked, glad to get her mind off her dilemma for a while.

"Do you and Lorelai and Luke want to come here for dinner tomorrow? Daddy's coming home, and Mummy said you could come," the girl explained.

"Uhm, I don't know. The others aren't here right now, I'll have to ask them later..." Rory began, but she was interrupted.

"Please, Rory, can't you promise that you'll come? You never come here anymore..." Suzannah complained. Rory had to laugh.

"What are you talking about? We were there yesterday! And you lived here for a week right before that!"

"Oh right...But please, pretty please, Rory?" Suzannah begged.

"Oh, okay then. I know Mum and Luke aren't working tomorrow night, so I guess we'll be there." Rory hadn't heard a word of her mother's and grandmother's discussion the night before, so she had no idea what she had just promised. She talked to her little aunt for a few more minutes before they hung up.

* * *

Later that day, when Luke and Lorelai came home, Rory had made dinner for them. 

Lorelai sniffled deeply and smiled as she sat down by the table.

"Pizza, yum! Are we celebrating something?" she asked. Rory nodded and told them about the other job offer she had gotten.

"But I've finally decided to take the first one," she exclaimed. "That's the biggest step on my career ladder yet."

"Good for you!" Luke smiled at her and Lorelai gave her daughter a hug.

"I'm so glad you're done with the thinking, I know how much this has been bothering you!" she said and Rory nodded.

"Yep. I'll start packing right after dinner, I have to leave on Monday morning," she said before she reached out for a slice of pizza. Lorelai's chin dropped.

"That soon?" she asked, clearly disappointed . Rory had to swallow her first bite before she was able to answer.

"That's the only way I'll get the job..." she explained. "But hey, at least I'll be around for the dinner at Grandma's tomorrow." Both Lorelai and Luke stopped eating and turned towards her.

"Excuse me, rewind that for me, please?" Lorelai couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Right, I forgot to tell you. Suzy called earlier and invited us over for dinner tomorrow. Grandpa's coming home." Rory couldn't understand why the other two seemed so surprised.

"She made Suzy call? What does she want now?" Lorelai turned to Luke, who shrugged. Rory was more confused than ever.

"Am I missing something here?" she asked her mother. Lorelai nodded.

"Let's just say things got rough between me and Grandma when I went back for my phone yesterday." She quickly explained the situation to her daughter. When she was done, Rory had a question to ask.

"Does this mean we can't go to dinner? I mean, I was hoping to say good bye to them before I left..."

"Well, it was them who invited us, not the other way around..." Luke commented and looked at Lorelai questioningly. She boggled at first but then she shrugged and gave in.

"OK then, I guess we can go," she agreed. "But only because I want to see what my mother is up to!"

"Whatever you say," Rory went back to eating her pizza. She knew her mother well enough to know that fighting with her grandmother hurt her more than she was willing to admit, even though she was used to it. Rory hoped this particular conflict would be solved before she had to leave.

The next day, just as Emily and Suzannah were finishing their breakfast, they heard some noises from the hallway, before Richard entered. Suzannah jumped of her chair once she saw him and ran into his open arms. Emily wanted to ask her daughter to remember her table manners, but something inside of her still held her back when it came to rebuking Suzannah.

Richard noticed that there was something unusual about the atmosphere in his home right away. When he had handed out the mandatory little gifts he always brought when he had been away, and Suzannah had spent a few minutes on his lap updating him on what new letters she had learned, he sent her upstairs to put the new toys in her room. Once she had left, he turned to his wife.

"So, has anything happened here since the last time I saw you?" he asked. Emily looked down and nodded.

"Suzannah and I had a little...discussion...the other night when she didn't want to go to bed. I don't really think it meant anything, she just had a little outbreak. Anyway, Lorelai came over right afterwards, and...well." She told him about the conversation she had had with their oldest daugther. Richard listened carefully. When she was done, he seemed troubled. So, he had been right all along, there had been a bit of bitterness in Lorelai's voice every time she compared her own childhood to Suzannah's.

"I suspected something like this," he admitted. "I think Lorelai might have felt this way from the very beginning."

"That's awful!" Emily seemed shocked. "We have to do something about it!" Richard nodded.

"We should talk to her. Any chance of her coming over any time soon?"

"Yes, somehow Suzannah convinced her to come over here tonight." Emily still didn't know how that had happened. "I'll...I'll talk to her then." She wasn't sure how that talk would go, but she knew she had to give it a try. Richard was relieved that she seemed to leave him out of it. He wasn't fond of having serious conversations, especcialy not with Lorelai. She was always one step ahead of him...

"Good! Make her understand that...uhm..." he wasn't sure how to finish his sentence. Luckily Suzannah came running back into the room and crawled up to his lap before he had the chance to say anything.

* * *

Later that night, Rory and Lorelai were getting ready to go while they were waiting for Luke to come home so they could leave. Lorelai was brushing Rory's hair in front of the mirror in her room. 

"So, what do you think Grandma will say when we get there?" Rory asked. Lorelai shrugged.

"I don't know. The talk we had the other night was so...confusing!" Lorelai struggled to get rid of a tangle in her daugther's hair. "One minute, we're talking about why me and her aren't as close as you and I are, and then the next thing I know, we're screaming at each other and everything...," Lorelai sighed. Rory thought about what her mother had just said for a moment before she opened her mouth again.

"Well, about the you-and-me-thing, I can understand her. We make a good jing-jang," she said with a smile.

"We sure do..."Lorelai smiled as well, as their eyes met in the mirror.

"I missed you a lot when I lived in New York..." Rory looked down. Lorelai put the brush away and started running her fingers through Rory's hair instead.

"I missed you to. All the time..." she answered in a low voice. Rory turned around to look at her.

"Say I go back there, and then..then I fall in love again," Rory began to describe a situation.

"I'm with you so far." Lorelai sat down next to her.

"And then I get my heart broken again. You won't be there if that happens!" Rory said. Lorelai shook her head.

"No, I won't..." she whispered. Rory leaned her head on her mother's shoulder.

"I want you to be there. I want you to be there every time I need to be your baby again... I don't want to plan it two weeks ahead before I can visit you." Rory could feel that her eyes were filling up with tears. Lorelai had the same feeling, but she kept quiet and listened as her daughter continued talking.

"I don't want to move away again, Mum. I want to live around here somewhere...I can't leave once more, I just...can't! I'm taking the other job..."

This time Lorelai couldn't keep her feelings to herself anymore, she put her arms around Rory and allowed the tears to run slowly down her cheeks. Rory hugged her back, and they remained like that for a few minutes before Lorelai pulled back and put her daughter's head in her hands.

"Are you sure about this, honey?" she asked. "Are you sure you want to spend your life in this corky old town?"

"Mum, I was formed by this town, I was born to be a Stars-Hollow-original!" Rory smiled now. "25 years from now I'll be right up there with Babette and Ms. Patty!"

"Wow, that's kind of a scary thought..." Lorelai smiled as well and hugged her daughter again. Two seconds later they heard someone opening the kitchen door, and Luke's voice calling out that it was time to leave.

* * *

When they arrived at the Gilmore Mansion a little later, they were met by an eager Suzannah who was jumping up and down on the doorstep. Rory ran over to her and carried her inside to the livingroom, where her grandparents were waiting. Lorelai and Luke followed them. 

"Hi, Grandma. Hi Grandpa, how was your trip?" Rory asked while she tried to keep Suzannah from messing her hair up.

"It was fine, thank you." Richard came over to her and took over his youngest daughter. "Uhm, Rory, why don't you and I bring Suzannah out to the kitchen for a second? Suzannah has demanded jello for dessert, and I think we should give it a try."

"Eh, sure, OK..." Rory said as her grandfather literally pulled her with him out if the room.

Luke realized that he had been left alone with the battling forces.

"And I...uhm...I'm just going to...use the bathroom," he said before he left the room in a hurry, leaving Emily and Lorelai to themselves. Lorelai turned to face her mother.

"And then there were two..." she mumbled. Emily simply nodded.

"Yes..." she said and cleared her throat before she continued. "Your father and I thought it was important that you and I have a little talk..."

"Look, Mum, if this is about yesterday, I just...I don't know...I don't really want to talk about it," Lorelai said. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat down on the couch.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping you would say that," Emily said as she sat down in the armchair facing Lorelai. "I wouldn't really know how to have that talk with you without sounding like...a clichee." She took a deep breath before she continued. "Let's just have dinner and let this go, can't we?"

"I guess..." Lorelai sighed, but she didn't move. Emily was about to get up, when Lorelai opened her mouth again.

"It's just...it's so typical, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically. "It's like you said, we don't know how to talk to each other. We just pretend to forget that the bad stuff has happened, time after time. We really suck at this mother-daughter-thing..." she stated, clearly dejected. Emily wasn't sure what to say at first. She thought it over for a few seconds before she answered.

"You're right. We do have many battles, and we don't go through any dramatic, emotional reconciliations. We simply move on, until the same thing happens again." Emily made sure she had eye-contact with her daughter before she continued. "But if you look at the glass as half-full instead of half-empty, maybe what we're doing isn't such a bad thing."

"What do you mean, mother?" Lorelai didn't understand.

"I mean that even though we have more discussions than any other people I know, we've always managed to put up with each other. Again and again. Do you see where I'm going?"

Lorelai had to think as well, before she could see what her mother was saying.

"You mean...how we're not talking for weeks, and then somehow we still manage to get things back to normal?" she asked in a faltering voice. Emily nodded eagerly.

"Exactly. Even when it took us 16 years, we still managed to get back into each others lifes."

"So...this is our...our thing." Lorelai was really beginning to understand. "The thing we do. We argue, and then we forget about it!"

"Yes. It's not the thing every mother and daughter long to have, but at least it's something!" Emily stated. "And it's certainly better than the alternative."

"Yeah! I mean, the only other option would be to have no contact at all. That wouldn't work," Lorelai said. "I let you back into my life for Rory's sake. Now we have to keep it that way, for Suzannah's."

"And for ourselves," Emily interrupted her. She had planned to say something more, but couldn't think of anything, so she just kept quiet. An awkward silence occured that lastet for a few second before Lorelai broke it.

"Well...at least that's something," she said in a low voice before she got up and headed towards the door._I can't believe it ends like this_, she thought to herself. "Let's see if the dinner is ready, huh?"

"Lorelai?" her mother called after her just as she reached the door. Lorelai turned around, as Emily got up from her chair and came towards her.

"Listen...even if it probably will sound like a platitude, I just thought you should know that..." Emily looked down on her own feet as she went on "...that even though you might feel somewhat envious of your sister sometimes, because...well, you know...her relationship to me and your father is different from yours...I just...I hope you know that I'm sorry you never got to have what she has. And also...that the love I have for the two of you is different in many ways, but...not when it comes to strength." Emily looked down for a few more seconds before she looked back up at her daughter, just to find out that Lorelai was staring at the floor as well.

"Thanks Mum..." she mumbled. "And I...I want you to know that...well, I know that yesterday you wanted me to say that you're better at the whole mother-thing this time. I didn't want to say it then, but I'll say it now. You're doing great. Suzy is a super kid, defidently on my top two list of all times..." she looked into her mother's eyes, only for a spilt second, but long enough for both of them to smile at each other.

"Well, we'd better stop now. We don't want to break our traditions..." Emily said. They both chuckled as they left the room together.

* * *

**The third and final Suzannah story is called "Complications", if you're interessted in more of these...I hope you liked this story, and I hope you'll give me a review. THANKS TO MY BETA INCA!**


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